Talent
by radioellie
Summary: Short little drabble about Hermione and Snape. AU Post Deathly Hallows.


**Just got an idea for this story and decided to run with it. AU after Deathly Hallows in which Snape survived and Hermione, Harry, and Ron **

**Disclaimer: I'm not JK Rowling...**

**I hope you like the story! Please let me know what you think. **

* * *

"I can't believe you, Hermione!" Ron said to his former girlfriend.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, jointing the conversation.

Hermione sighed, annoyed with the two, "I'm staying after class to ask Professor Snape about the homework- I don't understand it."

"None of us understand it, Hermione. There's no need to run to him… that's idiotic." Harry said.

Hermione shrugged. As the two boys walked out of the classroom, she sucked in a breath and approached the professor's desk.

"Professor?" Hermione asked.

"What is it you want, Miss Granger?" He said in almost a hiss.

"Well, I was wondering…" she started to stammer, "If you could explain the potion again that we are writing our essays about. I don't quite understand it."

"I thought you were a know-it-all." He said, not showing any signs of helping her. He looked back down at his desk, marking a paper.

"I'm very confused, sir, if you could just explain it," Hermione tried again.

"You pride yourself on being the smartest person in the room- figure it out," he snapped.

Hermione shook her head, "I'm not the smartest person in the room- hardly ever. If I was I'd be in Ravenclaw." Snape looked up from the paper and gave her a questioning look. She took that as a sign to continue, "I mean, I know I am intelligent, but sometimes I unknowingly make it out to seem like I know more than I do. If you could please just-"

"And why would you do that?" His voice was monotone as usual, but he seemed the slightest bit interested.

Hermione was surprised he even asked, "I-I don't know. Maybe because its the only thing I'm good at. I don't really have very many other skills. I'm not athletic, not funny or anything." She thought to herself, _Maybe that's the reason Ron decided to break up with you._

Snape gave in, "What do you need help with, Miss Granger?"

She looked down at her notes, "Does the cowbane need to be cut up?"

"Does it say that in the instructions?" He doubted for a moment she had any brain cells at all.

"No, but I didn't understand how it would mix into the potion otherwise." Hermione said.

Snape answered quickly, "The potion is acidic and that means that an ingredient like cowbane would be able to dissolve whole."

"Right, thank you, professor." Hermione said. She tried turning away and leaving the classroom, but Snape stopped her.

He had to admit hearing her say she wasn't the smartest person was refreshing, but he knew she would've been able to figure something simple like that out for herself. "Are you alright, Miss Granger?"

"Yes, sir. Why?" She asked, turning back to look at him.

He wished he didn't ask her that, but he continued, "I know from previous essays of yours that you know fully well that cowbane is able to dissolve into a potion."

"I'm sorry, sir, I must've forgotten." She clearly was uncomfortable like he was.

"Alright," He said making no move to finish the conversation. He passed by her without so much as a glance and swept out of the room.

…

It was the day the trains left for Christmas break and Snape looked out into the Great Hall, watching as Harry and Ginny went, hand in hand, towards the rest of the Weasleys, each carrying a trunk. He wondered why Hermione wasn't with them, but then shrugged off the curiosity as he headed back towards the dungeon, where he'd spend the majority of his break.

On his way, he noticed the Room of Requirement door fading back into the wall. He quickly ran over to it without another thought and opened the door before it completely faded away. He listened closely, curious as to why the room was being used- since Draco used it for the vanishing cabinet, it had been forbidden to be used.

His ears filled with wondrous music that drew him in closer. He looked in and a student with their back facing to him was at some musical instrument with black and white keys. Snape didn't recognize it and he assumed it was a muggle instrument. He stepped closer, still keeping a safe distance so the student wouldn't see him. He wanted to punish them for using the room, but he couldn't bring himself to interrupt the music.

The student started to sing, though so quietly that Snape couldn't quite make out the lyrics. He listened quietly, admiring the way the sounds warmed the room. Whenever the student stopped playing they stood up and transformed the instrument into a table. Snape tried to duck out of view, but it was too late- the student, which he now knew it was Hermione Granger, saw him there and gasped.

"Professor! What are you- I'm sorry I was in here." She realized that the room was off limits now and that he would most likely punish her.

He saw the tear stains that ran down her cheeks and he stopped from insulting her, "Aren't you leaving for break?"

"No," Hermione shook her head. She turned away from him and collected her books from the chair across the room.

She started to walk towards the door and he quickly caught up, "Why were you in here- were you not aware that its off limits now?"

"I'm sorry… I just wanted to practice piano." She said, keeping her head down.

Snape looked back at where the table now stood, "Is that what you were playing?"

Hermione nodded, "It's a muggle musical instrument. I used to play it as a child."

"It wasn't half bad- and I thought you said you weren't good at anything accept school." Snape said.

Hermione quickly declined any idea that what Snape just said was a compliment, "I never really thought of it as something I'm good at- it was always something more of a stress release."

Snape nodded. He realized how many books she was carrying and opened the door for her. She gave a nod towards him and he asked her, "Why aren't you leaving for break? Aren't you going with Potter and Weasley?"

"No," She shook her head. she didn't want to tell him about Ron and her break up, that would be too personal. "I never used to go there anyways- I always went to my parent's house for Christmas."

"Why aren't you going then," He asked.

Hermione looked down and blinked back a few tears, "I- uh," her voice cracked, "Before… whenever we left Hogwarts and before the war was won… I had to obliviate my parents to protect them. They're somewhere in Australia, happy as can be, but they have no recollection of me."

"Oh," He didn't know what to say, "I'm sorry that had to happen. Maybe you can track them down?"

Hermione shook her head, "I've looked for them, but I can't find them anywhere. It doesn't matter really- I know that they'll have a good life. I left my savings in muggle pounds to them and I made sure they would have good jobs."

"I'm sorry," Snape said quietly. She shifted the books to one hand to wipe a tear from her eye, but Snape wiped it away before she could.

She smiled faintly at him, "Thanks."

"So why aren't you going to go back to Weasley's then?" Snape asked, concerned that Hermione was spending her Christmas alone.

"Ron and I just broke up a few weeks ago- even though we agreed to be friends and I know we will, I just feel like I should step back for a while." Hermione said after pausing a few moments.

"Oh," Snape nodded. He remembered whenever she asked him the stupid question about cowbane- they must've just broken up. Hermione stopped walking and Snape realized that she had to turn in the opposite direction from him to go back to the Gryffindor common room.

"Thank you, sir. I hope I didn't bother you too much," Hermione said politely.

Snape shook his head, "Not at all."

"Well, goodbye, professor." Hermione said with a nod.

Snape's lip twisted up into something of a smile, "Goodbye, Miss Granger. If I don't see you before then, Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Professor Snape," She smiled at him. She looked up above them seeing the mistletoe forming from the enchanted ceiling. She quickly kissed his cheek and ran away, blushing, before he could protest.


End file.
